Data Watch: Northwest Arkansas Roadway Fatalities, 2016-2022

Traveling in a vehicle is a daily aspect of most of our lives. However, it is also one of the riskiest activities, with more than 39,000 roadway fatalities occurring in the U.S. in 2022 alone. 

For this installment in our Data Watch series, we analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System from 2016 through 2022 for Northwest Arkansas, defined for purposes of this analysis as Benton, Carroll, Madison, and Washington counties. We examined the locations of roadway fatalities, trends over time, demographics of the people who died, and the role of risky behaviors such as speeding and failure to use protections.

Key Findings

• Between 2016 and 2022, there were 462 roadway fatalities in Northwest Arkansas.
• Roadway fatality rates peaked in 2016 (14.4 deaths per 100,000 people) and decreased through 2018 prior to increasing again during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Roadway fatality rates were three times higher in Carroll and Madison counties than in Benton and Washington counties.
• Motorists accounted for 65% of roadway fatalities, followed by motorcyclists (20%), pedestrians (14%), and bicyclists (1%).
• Risky behaviors contributed to roadway fatalities: In 43% of motorist fatalities, no restraint was used by vehicle occupants; 23% of roadway fatalities involved speeding; and more than half (54%) of motorcycle occupants who died were not wearing a helmet.  

See also our infographic examining roadway fatalities statewide.